When Kirby Smart made a point of saying he’s not concerned about recruiting rankings — “I don’t even know who the four- and five-stars are,” Georgia’s new coach said Wednesday during a school-produced signing day show — it was at once cliché and maybe a defense mechanism, too.

It’s almost always unfair to judge new coaching staffs by their first recruiting classes — mainly because in large part, it’s not theirs. In most cases, the bulk of the work has been done by the previous staff. The new guys pick up the baton in December, with only a few more weeks left until National Signing Day, and try to simultaneously hold on to those nonbinding commitments while cobbling together a few more prize recruits.

All of which makes Georgia’s ranking of No. 9 in the USA TODAY High School Sports composite rankings look even better. Here’s a look at how several notable new coaching staffs fared Wednesday:

Kirby Smart, Georgia

Smart’s first task after taking over for Mark Richt was to hold on to the jewel of the class, quarterback Jacob Eason (ranked by 247Sports as the No. 5 overall player and No. 2 quarterback). Eason was such an important target that Richt flew cross-country to Lake Stevens, Wash., in mid-November — as rumors about his job security swirled — to have breakfast with the prospect. Keeping Eason, who became one of six early enrollees, probably made Smart’s initial recruiting class a success regardless of what else happened.

Likewise, it was big to get five-star tight end Isaac Nauta in the fold and on campus for the spring semester. But to achieve the No. 9 overall ranking (fourth-best in the SEC) required a strong closing kick. The 20-member class included 13 four- or five-star players.

Landing Mecole Hardman (Elberton, Ga.), who projects as a defensive back but could also return kicks and play receiver, was big. There were some near-misses — including linebacker Mack Wilson (Alabama) and, perhaps more notably because of their status as in-state players, five-star defensive tackle Derrick Brown (Auburn) and four-star offensive tackle E.J. Price (USC). But Smart flipped an in-state product, Powder Springs McEachern High wide receiver Tyler Simmons, away from Alabama.

Clay Helton, USC

The promotion of Helton from interim to permanent head coach apparently didn’t adversely affect USC’S recruiting efforts, as the Trojans put together a very solid class, even considering their lofty standards. The composite ranking of No. 12 was as high as No. 9 (247Sports), and was keyed by early enrollee Oluwole Betiku, rated the nation’s top defensive end and consensus No. 16 player overall.

On Wednesday, the Trojans signed Long Beach, Calif., cornerback Jack Jones, the No. 22 overall player (and No. 4 cornerback). All told, they landed seven players ranked in 247 Sports’ Top 100, many from the fertile recruiting ground of their back yard. And in what felt like the good old days of, say, 10 years ago, the Trojans pulled offensive tackle E.J. Price away from SEC country on Wednesday.

Mark Richt, Miami

Richt recruited well in 15 years at Georgia, and his initial class at Miami seems to indicate not much will change. The Hurricanes lost two commitments in the final hours — cornerback Tyler Bird and receiver Latrell Williams both flipped to Tennessee — but signed a class that ranked No. 23 nationally (and more important in the short term, third-best in the ACC behind Florida State and Clemson).

The keys to the class might be quarterback Jack Allison, an early enrollee ranked by 247Sports as the No. 8 quarterback, along with wide receivers Sam Bruce (No. 11 receiver by 247Sports), Ahmmon Richards (No. 28 receiver) and safety Romeo Finley (No. 15 safety). Miami also signed Malek Young, the No. 47-ranked cornerback from Pompano Beach, Fla., who had been committed to Georgia, as well as a notable legacy: receiver Michael Irvin Jr. You know the name.

Will Muschamp, South Carolina

South Carolina head football coach Will Muschamp helped the Gamecocks have a recruiting class that ranked 25th composite. That included bringing in Brandon McIlwain, the No. 2-ranked quarterback according to 247Sports.(Photo: Sean Rayford, AP)

Here was Will Muschamp’s take on a class that ranked a composite No. 25 (ninth-best in the SEC): "Winning on Signing Day is not real important to me. It’s about two years, three years down the line." That’s true enough, and realistic. But Muschamp said Wednesday the Gamecocks won plenty of recruiting battles during the scramble after he got the job in December.

The most important might have been Brandon McIlwain, the No. 2-ranked quarterback according to 247Sports. McIlwain, from Newtown, Pa., also plans to play baseball for the Gamecocks, which is an important note. McIlwain could have been a first-round pick in the Major League Baseball draft next summer, but instead enrolled early at South Carolina.

Other standouts included wide receiver Bryan Edwards (No. 45 receiver from Conway, S.C.) and defensive back Jamarcus King (rated as the No. 1 junior college cornerback). When Muschamp arrived in early December, the Gamecocks’ class was ranked No. 71 by Rivals.com. The final Rivals ranking of 27th reflected what the new staff accomplished.

Justin Fuente, Virginia Tech

Virginia Tech head football coach Justin Fuente signed four receivers to help with his uptempo offense.(Photo: Matt Gentry, AP)

Remember that part about not judging too harshly a new coaching staff’s first recruiting class? Virginia Tech’s composite ranking of No. 41 was lower than usual for the program, which for so many years was a staple of consistency under Frank Beamer.

Many of the 21-player class had committed before Beamer announced his retirement. The biggest get was quarterback Jerod Evans, a transfer from Trinity Valley (Texas) College who was rated the No. 1 junior college quarterback by 247Sports and is expected to compete immediately in a wide-open race to start. The Hokies also signed cornerback Khalil Ladler (No. 34 cornerback). Both were early enrollees.

One disappointment: JaQuan Bailey, who had decommitted from Florida, chose Iowa State over Virginia Tech. But the Hokies signed four receivers, which is important given the wide-open, uptempo offense Fuente plans to run, and four offensive linemen (to go with two others already enrolled).

“I think we made some headway here,” Fuente told reporters. “It’s the start. It’s the foundation of what we’re building. It’s the very first step in the next generation of Virginia Tech football.”

Virginia Tech head coach Frank Beamer announced his plan to retire after the 2015-16 college football season. Beamer has been the head coach of the Hokies for 29 seasons, amassing a 235-120-2 overall record.
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